Viewing angle adjustment system for a monitor

ABSTRACT

This invention provides a support arm to couple a monitor to a surface such as a wall or ceiling to remotely adjust the viewing angle of the monitor. The support arm includes at least one motor along a pivot axis in the support arm. The motor may be activated by a processor based on the control signal provided by the remote control. The support arm may include a plurality of pivot axes with a motor in each of the pivot axis to adjust the viewing angle along the vertical and horizontal planes. The support arm may be also provided with a tracking device that follows the movement of the viewer to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor corresponding to the movement of the viewer. The support arm may also receive periodic signal from the remote control to determine the location of the remote control. Based on the periodic signal, the processor may adjust the viewing angle of the monitor towards the location of the remote control.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation application of a U.S. non-provisionalapplication Ser. No. 11/028,790, filed Jan. 3, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No.7,296,774 which claims priority to a U.S. provisional patent applicationSer. No. 60/533,923, entitled SYSTEM FOR REMOTELY ADJUSTING THE VIEWINGANGLE OF A MONITOR, filed Jan. 2, 2004. Both applications are herebyincorporated by references.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention is directed to a support arm capable of adjusting theviewing angle of a monitor remotely and/or automatically to allow aviewer to watch the monitor more comfortably at the desired viewingangle.

2. General Background

Flat screen monitors such as computer monitors and plasma televisions(collectively referred to as “monitor(s)”) are becoming popular becausethey can be mounted onto a wall to save floor space and for theiraesthetically pleasing appearance. In particular, monitors are generallymounted to a wall with a mechanical support arm then fixed in a desiredorientation to maximize the viewing angle of the monitor. To lateradjust the viewing angle of the monitor, however, a viewer generallytilts the monitor manually to a new viewing angle so that the viewer maymore comfortably view the monitor from a different location. Forinstance, a monitor may be fixed to a wall in a family room to allow thefamily members or one viewer to view the monitor at the desired viewingangle. As the viewer moves from one area to another area, such as fromthe family room to the kitchen, the viewer may not be able to view themonitor. In addition, in situations where the monitor is mounted in aremote location or high above the floor, it may be inconvenient for theviewer to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor. As such, there is aneed for adjusting the viewing angle of a monitor so that a viewer mayview the monitor comfortably from a variety of locations.

INVENTION SUMMARY

This invention provides a support arm to couple a monitor to a surfacesuch as a wall or ceiling to remotely or automatically adjust theviewing angle of the monitor. The support arm includes at least onemotor along a pivot axis in the support arm. The motor may be activatedby a processor based on the control signal provided by the remotecontrol. The support arm may include a plurality of pivot axes with amotor in each of the pivot axis to adjust the viewing angle along atleast one plane such as the vertical and/or horizontal plane. Thesupport arm may be also provided with a tracking device that follows themovement of the viewer to adjust the viewing angle of the monitorcorresponding to the movement of the viewer. The support arm may alsoreceive periodic signal from the remote control to determine thelocation of the remote control. Based on the periodic signal, theprocessor may adjust the viewing angle of the monitor towards thelocation of the remote control.

Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will beor will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination ofthe following figures and detailed description. It is intended that allsuch additional systems, methods, features and advantages be includedwithin the description, be within the scope of the invention, and beprotected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention can be better understood with reference to the followingfigures. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale,emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of theinvention. Moreover, in the figures, like reference numerals designatecorresponding parts throughout the different views.

FIG. 1 illustrates a viewing angle adjustment system capable ofadjusting the viewing angle of a monitor;

FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of the support arm in one positioncoupling a monitor to a wall;

FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of the support arm in a different positionthan in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of the support arm coupling a monitor toa wall;

FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of the support arm coupling the monitorof FIG. 4 is a counter-clockwise pivot position in comparison to FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 illustrates a top view of the support arm in a retractedposition;

FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of the support arm in an expandedposition;

FIG. 8 illustrates a top view of the support arm coupling a monitor withanother viewing angle;

FIG. 9 illustrates a top view of the support arm coupling the monitor ina lateral position in comparison to the lateral position of the monitorin FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 illustrates a top view of the support arm with a pivot pointcapable of rotating a monitor along the vertical and horizontal planes;

FIG. 11 illustrates a system for adjusting the viewing angle of amonitor based on the movement of the viewer and/or the location of theremote control; and

FIG. 12 illustrates a system capable of adjusting the viewing angle of amonitor along a X and Y plane.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

This invention is generally directed to remotely controlling the viewingangle of the monitor that is mounted onto a surface or in a remote area.FIG. 1 shows a viewing angle adjustment system 2 including a support arm10 having a plurality of arms 12 and 14. The two arms 12 and 14 may becoupled along the pivot axis 16. Along the pivot axis 16, the two arms12 and 14 may form a housing 18A and 18B, respectively, adapted to housean electric motor. The electric motor may be a servo motor capable ofpivoting or rotating the housing 18A relative to the housing 18B,thereby actuating the arm 12 relative to the arm 14. A variety ofdifferent types of motors known to one skilled in the art may be used inthe pivot axis. In addition, on the opposite end of the housing 18A, thearm 12 may have a housing 20 adapted to pivotally couple an adaptor 30about the pivot axis 24. Along the pivot axis 24, the adaptor 30 and thehousing 20 may enclose another electric motor. Likewise, on the opposingend of the housing 18 b, the arm 14 may have a housing 22 adapted toenclose an electric motor capable of pivoting about the pivot axis 26.The housing 22 may be pivotally coupled to a bracket 28 which is adaptedto mount onto a surface, such as walls and ceilings. The housing 20 ispivotally coupled to an adaptor 30 which couples the monitor 32 to thesupport arm 10. In addition, the adaptor 30 may have an electric motorcapable of pivoting the monitor 32 along the pivot axis 34. In general,the pivot axes 16, 24, and 26 pivot along the vertical axis and thepivot axis 34 pivots along the horizontal axis.

The viewing angle adjustment system 2 may also include a remote control36 having a control button 38 capable of remotely controlling theviewing angle of the monitor 32 that is coupled to the support arm 10.In general, a viewing angle may be described as the position of themonitor that it is comfortable for a viewer(s) to watch the monitor. Assuch, the viewing angle may change from on viewer to another and alsochange as one or more viewers move around within the viewing arearelative to the location of the monitor. The viewing angle may be alsodescribed as a line that is perpendicular to the plane of the monitorabout its center point. In this regard, the remote control 36 may have aprocessor 35 that is capable of activating the motors along the pivotaxes 16, 24, 26, and 34. The remote control 36 may be used to controlthe rotation of the motors along their respective pivot axes to adjustthe viewing angle of the monitor 32. The control signal from the remotecontrol 36 may be provided by a viewer or though other input data asdiscussed below. A receptor 50 may be provided on the monitor or on thesupport arm 10 to receive the control signal from the remote control 36.

Based on the input data from a viewer, the processor 35 provide acontrol signal to each of the motors that needs to rotate to orient themonitor 32 at a desired viewing angle. The processor 35 may calculatethe rotation of each of the motors, if any, so that the monitor 32 maybe moved from an initial viewing position to a new desired viewingposition with minimal delay or through least amount of movements by thearms 12 and 14. Besides the remote control 35, the processor 35 may alsobe provided within the support arm 10 such as in the bracket 28, forexample. If the processor 35 is located within the remote control 36,the input data from a viewer may be processed by the processor 35 tosend a control signal to the receptor 50 to efficiently rotate each ofthe motors in the support arm 10 to orient the monitor 32 to the desiredviewing angle. The receptor 50 may receive the control signal from theremote control 36 and forward the control signal to the motors withinthe support arm to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor accordingly.If the processor 35 is located on the support arm 10, then the remotecontrol 36 may send the input data from the viewer to the receptor 50,which is then processed by the processor 35 to efficiently rotate themotors accordingly. This way, a viewer may adjust the viewing angle ofthe monitor remotely by using the control button 38 on the remotecontrol 36. For instance, a viewer may activate the control button 38either to the left position or to the right position to pivot theviewing angel of the monitor 32 to the clockwise or counter clockwisedirection, respectively, when viewed from the top.

FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of the support arm 10 coupling the monitor32 to a wall 13. The monitor 32 may be pivoted about the horizontal planin a variety of ways. For instance, the monitor 32 may be pivoted alongone of the pivot axis 16, 24 or 26 to pivot the monitor either in theclockwise or counter clockwise direction. Alternatively, a combinationof motors along the pivot axes 16, 24, and 26 may be activated to adjustthe viewing angle of the monitor to a desired direction. The motor alongthe pivot axis 24 may be activated to pivot the monitor 32 either in theclockwise or counter clockwise direction along the pivot axis 24. Themotor along the pivot axis 16 may be activated to pivot the monitor 32along an arc about the pivot axis 16 with the length of the arm 12 beingthe radius of the arc. Likewise, the motor along the pivot axis 26 maybe activated to pivot the monitor 32 along an arc about the pivot axis26 with the straight distance between the pivot axes 24 and 26 being theradius of the arc. With a variety of ways to reposition the monitor tothe desired viewing angle, the processor 35 may calculate the rotationof each of the motors, if any, so that the monitor 32 may be moved froman initial viewing position to a new desired viewing position withminimal delay or through least amount of movements by the arms 12 and14.

A memory 37 may be provided with the processor 35 to store the desiredmovement of the monitor 32 along the horizontal plan desired by theviewer. That is, the remote control 36 may be provided with a teachfunction 39 that allows the viewer to input the desired movement of themonitor 32 along the horizontal plan to the processor 35 which is thenstored to the memory 37. For instance, FIG. 2 illustrates a firstposition of the monitor 32 to define the position of the monitor 32along an X and Y plane; and FIG. 3 illustrates a second position of themonitor 32 along the X and Y plane. A viewer may desire the viewingangle of the monitor 32 to follow the movement from the first positionto the second position. In this example, a viewer may initiate the teachfunction 39 from the first position, then move the monitor 32 to thesecond position so that the processor 35 may store in the memory 37 thedesired X and Y coordinates of the arc movement of the monitor throughthe X and Y plane. In this instance, the motor along the pivot axis 26may be activated to rotate the arm 14 in a clockwise direction to movethe monitor 32 along the arc movement that follows from the firstposition to the second position.

The desired first position and the second position may vary depending onthe viewer but each viewer may teach the desired arc movement to theprocessor 35. This may involve activating one or more motors in the axes16, 24, and 26. The desired movement of the monitor 32 may be providedso that the support arm 10 and the monitor 32 may avoid an impedingobject that is near the monitor such as a book shelf, column, lamp, oran adjacent wall. Once the desired arc movement of the monitor is storedinto the memory 37, the processor 35 may follow the desired arc movementwhen the viewer activates the control button to the right or leftposition. In addition, the teach function 39 may be also used to definecertain boundaries so that the movement of the monitor is limited to acertain area. This may be done to prevent the monitor from running intoadjacent walls, for example. Accordingly, a viewer may adjust theviewing angle of the monitor to the left along the X and Y plane bypressing on the control button 38 to the left which causes the monitor32 to move to the left, and if the desired arc movement has beenprogrammed into the memory 37, then the movement of the monitor 32 mayfollow the stored arc movement. Once the monitor is at the desiredviewing angle along the X and Y plane, the viewer may depress thecontrol button 38 to stop of the movement of the monitor 32.

Once the monitor 32 is adjusted for the desired viewing angle along theX and Y plane, the viewing angle of the monitor 32 may be also adjustedalong the vertical plane or X and Z plane. FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate theside view of the monitor 32 along the support arm 10. FIG. 4 illustratethe monitor 32 in the first position along the X and Z plane; and FIG. 5illustrates the monitor 32 in the second position along the X and Zplane, where the viewing angle of the monitor 32 is in counter clockwiseposition relative to the first position. To pivot the monitor 32 in theX and Z plane, the viewer may move the control button 38 either to theupward position or downward position to activate the motor along thepivot axis 34 to pivot the monitor 32 corresponding to the clockwise orcounter clockwise direction along the vertical or X and Z plane. Thisway, a viewer may use the control button 38 to adjust the viewing angleof the monitor 32 along the X and Y plane and the X and Z plane.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a top view of the support arm 10, where FIG. 6shows the support arm 10 in a retracted position; and FIG. 7 shows thesupport arm 10 in the expanded position. If the viewer desires to extendthe monitor away from the bracket 28 or the wall 13, the viewer may holddown the control button 38 and move the control button upwards to sendthe control signal to the processor 35 to activate the motors in thepivot axes 16, 24, and 26 to extend the monitor 32 from the retractedposition to the expanded position. On the other end, if the viewerdesires to retract the support arm 10, then the viewer may hold down thecontrol button 38 and moves the control button 38 downward whichactivates the motors along the pivot axes 16, 24, and 26 to move themonitor 32 towards the bracket 28. Note that for convenience, when themonitor 32 is turned off or when not being used, the support arm 10 mayretract the monitor 32 so that it is flush to a wall. The next time themonitor is turned on, however, the processor may extend the support arm10 to the previous position before the monitor was turned off.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate moving the monitor 32 laterally along the Yaxis in an X and Y plane while maintaining a constant X. To move themonitor 32 laterally along the Y axis, a viewer may hold down thecontrol button 38 and move the control button 38 either to the left orto the right to send the corresponding control signal to the processor35. Based on the lateral control signal, the processor 35 may controlthe motors along the pivot axes 16, 24, and 26 to move the monitor 32along the Y axis while maintaining a constant X.

The number of pivot axes provided with the support arm 10 may vary. Forinstance, FIG. 10 illustrates the support arm 10 having a bracket 28with one pivot point 40 that rotates the monitor 32 about the pivotpoint in a variety of directions. That is, the pivot point 40 may rotatethe monitor 32 both in X and Y plane and in the X and Z plane. Inaddition, the bracket 28 may be telescopic so that the bracket mayextend to move the monitor 32 along the X axis. The bracket 28 of thesupport arm 10 may be also attached to a ceiling or any other surface tomount the monitor to the surface. The support arm 10 may be alsoprovided with pivot axes that pivot along the X and Z plane so that themonitor 32 may be moved up and down along the Z axis.

FIG. 11 illustrates that the support arm 10 may be equipped with atracking device 40 to follow the movement of a viewer. The trackingdevice may be placed on the outer perimeter of the monitor andcommunicateably coupled to the processor 35 to adjust the viewing angleof the monitor 32 based on the movement of the viewer. The remotecontrol 36 may be provided with a tracking mode button 42 to activatethe tracking mode. Once the tracking mode button 42 is activated, thetracking device 40 may monitor the movement of the viewer and providemovement information to the processor 35. Based on the movementinformation, the processor 35 may control the motors along the pivotaxes so that the viewing angle of the monitor 38 may substantiallyfollow the movement of the viewer. That is, the processor 35 adjusts theviewing angle of the monitor automatically based on the trackinginformation provided by the tracking device 40 to follow the movement ofthe viewer so that the viewer may conveniently view the monitor from avariety of locations. The tracking mode 42 may be generally utilizedwhen one viewer is watching the monitor. A variety of tracking device,method, and system known to one skilled in the art may be used to followthe movement of the viewer. For instance, such methods as described inU.S. Pat. No. 5,504,477, entitled Tracking System, and U.S. Pat. No.6,005,610, entitled Audio-visual object localization and tracking systemand method therefore, which are incorporated by reference, may be usedto track the movement of the viewer. With regard to U.S. Pat. No.6,005,610, the visual object detector without the audio detection methodmay be used as well with this invention. Other methods such as radartriangulation method and heat detection system may be used in thisinvention to detect the movement of the viewer.

FIG. 11 also illustrates that the remote control 36 may have a followmode button 48 to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor 32 toautomatically follow the location of the remote control 36. Once thefollow mode 48 is activated, the remote control 36 may send periodicsignals to the receptor 50 to detect the location of the remote control36. The location of the remote control is then sent to the processor 35to control the motors along the pivot axes to adjust the viewing angleof the monitor 32. A variety of tracking devices, methods, and systemsknown to one skilled in the art may be used to follow the movement ofthe remote control 36. For instance, such methods as described in U.S.Pat. No. 5,504,477 may be used to monitor the movement of the remotecontrol. Other methods such as triangulation and GPS systems may be usedto determine the location of the remote control based on the signalprovided by the remote control 36. This way, a viewer may place theremote control 36 at a desired location within a viewing area so thatthe viewing angle of the monitor 36 may be automatically adjusted forthe viewer.

The remote control 36 may be provided as a miniaturized transmitter thatsends periodic signals to the receptor 50. The transmitter may beattached to a viewer such as on the viewer's collar or shirt so that theviewing angle of the monitor may follow the movement of the viewer. Inaddition, the transmitter may be attached to the head gear of the vieweror hat so that the viewing angle of the monitor may follow the rotationof the viewer's head. For instance, a surgeon may use an endoscope tovisualize the internal organs of a patient during a surgery; a monitorcoupled to the endoscope may follow the rotation of the surgeon's headso that the surgeon may conveniently view the monitor. The monitor mayalso have a variety of sensors to detect nearby objects so that themovement of the monitor may avoid the nearby objects. In suchapplications, the bracket 28 for the support arm 10 may be coupled toany apparatus or ceiling rather than a wall to support the monitor 32.

This invention may be used in a variety of applications. For instance,FIG. 12 illustrates that the viewing angle of a monitor 32 for a videophone 60 may be adjusted so that the speaker may move around the viewingarea while speaking. With the video phone 60, the monitor 32 may bemounted or placed on top of a table 62. As the speaker moves around theviewing area, the monitor 32 or the support arm 64 may be provided witha tracking device 40 to follow the movement of the speaker. This mayallow the speaker the freedom to move while speaking at the same time.Alternatively, the tracking device 40 may operate by tracking the voiceof the speaker. With the video phones, the monitor may be pivotallycoupled to the support arm 64 having a first arm 66 and a second arm 68coupled to each other along a pivot axis 70 capable of pivoting alongthe vertical plane or the X and Y plane. The support arm 64 may alsoinclude the adapter 30 for coupling the monitor 32 for the video phone60 to the support arm 64. The adaptor 30 may pivot about the pivot axis34 as discussed above to rotate the monitor 32 clockwise or counterclockwise direction along the X and Y plane. The first arm 66 may alsorotate along the horizontal plane or around the Y axis so that themonitor 32 may rotate around 360 degrees on the table 62 to adjust theviewing angle of the monitor so that the speaker may view the monitor32. Alternatively, the support arm 10 as described above may be used toadjust the viewing angle of a monitor on top of a table.

While various embodiments of the invention have been described, it willbe apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many moreembodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of thisinvention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be restricted except inlight of the attached claims and their equivalents.

1. A system adapted to adjust a viewing angle of a monitor having a backside, the system comprising: (A) a support arm having: (1) an adaptorbracket having a first portion and a second portion, the first portionadapted to couple to the back side of the monitor, and the first portionpivotably coupled to the second portion about a first axis, (2) a wallbracket adapted to couple to a wall, (3) an arm having a proximal endand a distal end, the proximal end pivotably coupled to the wall bracketabout a second axis, and the distal end pivotably coupled to the secondportion of the adapter bracket about a third axis, the second axissubstantially parallel to the third axis, and the first axissubstantially perpendicular to the third axis, (4) a first motor adaptedto pivot the arm about the second axis such that the third axis moves inan arcing manner relative to the second axis, (5) a second motor adaptedto pivot the adaptor bracket about the third axis, and (6) a third motoradapted to pivot the first portion of the adaptor bracket about thefirst axis; and (B) a processor adapted to receive a control signal toadjust the viewing angle of the monitor, and the processor adapted toactivate at least one of the first, second, and third motors based onthe control signal to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor.
 2. Thesystem according to claim 1, including a remote control and a receptor,the remote control adapted to transmit the control signal, the receptoradapted to receive the control signal, and the processor adapted tocommunicably couple to the receptor to receive the control signal. 3.The system according to claim 1, including a remote control and amemory, the remote control having a teach button, where activation ofthe teach button causes the remote control to transmit a teach controlsignal, and based on the teach control signal the processor stores adesired position of the monitor into the memory, and the processorretrieves the desired position from the memory to reposition the monitorto the desired position at a later time.
 4. The system according toclaim 1, where the processor is adapted to limit the movement of thesupport arm to prevent the monitor from running into the wall.
 5. Asystem adapted to adjust a viewing angle of a monitor having a frontside and a back side, the monitor having a receptor on the front side,the receptor of the monitor adapted to receive a control signal toadjust the viewing angle of the monitor, the system comprising: (A) asupport arm having: (1) an adaptor bracket having a first portion and asecond portion, the first portion adapted to couple to the back side ofthe monitor, and the first portion pivotably coupled to the secondportion about a first axis, (2) a wall bracket adapted to couple to awall, (3) an arm having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximalend pivotably coupled to the wall bracket about a second axis, and thedistal end pivotably coupled to the second portion of the adapterbracket about a third axis, the second axis substantially parallel tothe third axis, and the first axis substantially perpendicular to thethird axis, (4) a first motor adapted to pivot the arm about the secondaxis, (5) a second motor adapted to pivot the adaptor bracket about thethird axis, and (6) a third motor adapted to pivot the first portion ofthe adaptor bracket about the first axis; and (B) a processor adapted tocommunicably couple to the receptor of the monitor to receive a firstcontrol signal to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor, and theprocessor adapted to activate at least one of the first, second, andthird motors based on the first control signal to adjust the viewingangle of the monitor.
 6. The system according to claim 5, including aremote control and a monitor, the remote control adapted to transmit thefirst control signal to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor, and themonitor having a receptor, the receptor of the monitor adapted toreceive the first control signal.
 7. The system according to claim 5,including a remote control and a memory, and the remote control includesa teach button, where activation of the teach button causes the remotecontrol to transmit a second control signal, and based on the secondcontrol signal the processor stores a desired position of the monitorinto the memory, and the processor adapted to retrieve the desiredposition from the memory to reposition the monitor to the desiredposition at a later time.
 8. The system according to claim 5, includinga remote control and a monitor, the remote control adapted to transmitthe first control signal to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor anda second control signal to turn off the monitor, the monitor having areceptor, the receptor of the monitor adapted to receive the firstcontrol signal and the second control signal, the processor adapted toreceive the first control signal and the second control signal from thereceptor, and the processor is adapted to activate at least one of thefirst, second, and third motors to retract the adapter bracket relativeto the wall bracket from an extended position to a retracted positionbased on the second control signal to turn off the monitor.
 9. Thesystem according to claim 8, where the remote control is adapted totransmit a third control signal to turn on the monitor, and theprocessor is adapted to activate at least one of the first, second, andthird motors to extend the adapter bracket to the extended positionbased on the third control signal to turn on the monitor.
 10. The systemaccording to claim 5, where the processor is provided with the supportarm.
 11. The system according to claim 5, where the processor is adaptedto limit the movement of the support arm to prevent the monitor fromrunning into the wall.
 12. A system adapted to adjust a viewing angle ofa monitor having a back side, the system comprising: (A) a remotecontrol having at least one control button, where activation of the atleast one control button causes the remote control to transmit a viewingcontrol signal to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor; (B) areceptor adapted to receive the viewing control signal; (C) a supportarm having: (1) an adaptor bracket having a first portion and a secondportion, the first portion adapted to couple to the back side of themonitor, (2) a wall bracket adapted to couple to a wall, (3) an armhaving a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end pivotablycoupled to the wall bracket about a first axis, and the distal endpivotably coupled to the second portion of the adapter bracket about asecond axis, and the first axis substantially parallel to the secondaxis, and (4) a first motor adapted to pivot the arm about the firstaxis, and (5) a second motor adapted to pivot the second portion of theadapter bracket about the second axis; and (D) a processor adapted tocommunicably couple to the receptor, the processor adapted to activateat least one of the first and second motors based on the viewing controlsignal from the remote control to adjust the viewing angle of themonitor, and the processor adapted to limit the movement of the monitorto prevent the monitor from running into the wall.
 13. The systemaccording to claim 12, where the first portion of the adapter bracket isadapted to pivot relative to the second portion of the adapter bracketabout a third axis, the third axis substantially perpendicular to thesecond axis, and further including a third motor adapted to pivot thefirst portion of the adapter bracket about the third axis, and theprocessor adapted to activate the third motor to pivot the first portionof the adaptor bracket about the third axis.
 14. The system according toclaim 12, where the processor is adapted to activate at least one of thefirst and second motors to retract the adapter bracket relative to thewall bracket from an extended position to a retracted position when themonitor is turned off.
 15. The system according to claim 14, where theprocessor is adapted to activate at least one of the first and secondmotors to extend the adapter bracket to the extended position when themonitor is turned on again.
 16. The system according to claim 12,including a memory, and the remote control includes a teach button,where activation of the teach button causes the remote control totransmit a teach control signal, and based on the teach control signalthe processor stores a desired position of the monitor into the memory,and the processor adapted to retrieve the desired position from thememory to reposition the monitor to the desired position at a latertime.
 17. A system adapted to adjust a viewing angle of a monitor havinga back side, the system comprising: (A) a remote control adapted totransmit a control signal to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor;(B) a receptor adapted to receive the control signal; (C) a support armhaving: (1) an adaptor bracket adapted to couple to the back side of themonitor, (2) a wall bracket adapted to couple to a wall, (3) an armhaving a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end pivotablycoupled to the wall bracket about a first axis, the distal end pivotablycoupled to the adapter bracket about a second axis, and the first axissubstantially parallel with the second axis, and (4) a first motoradapted to pivot the arm about the first axis such that the second axispivots about the first axis in an arcing manner to extend or retract theadaptor bracket relative to the wall bracket; and (D) a processoradapted to communicably couple to the receptor, the processor adapted toactivate the first motor based on the control signal from the remotecontrol to extend or retract the adaptor bracket relative to the wallbracket, and the processor adapted to retract the adaptor bracketrelative to the wall bracket when the monitor is turned off.
 18. Thesystem according to claim 17, further including a second motor adaptedto pivot the adaptor bracket about the second axis, the adaptor brackethaving a first portion and a second portion, the first portion of theadapter bracket adapted to pivot relative to the second portion of theadapter bracket about a third axis that is substantially perpendicularto the second axis, and further including a third motor adapted to pivotthe first portion of the adapter bracket about the third axis, and theprocessor adapted to activate the second motor and the third motor toadjust the viewing angle of the monitor based on the control signal. 19.The system according to claim 17, where the processor is adapted toactivate the first motor to extend the adapter bracket relative to thewall bracket when the monitor is turned on again.
 20. A system adaptedto adjust a viewing angle of a monitor having a back side, the systemcomprising: (A) a support arm having: (1) an adaptor bracket adapted tocouple to the back side of the monitor, (2) a wall bracket adapted tocouple to a wall, (3) a first arm having a first proximal end and afirst distal end, the first proximal end pivotably coupled to the wallbracket about a first axis, (4) a second arm having a second proximalend and a second distal end, the first distal end pivotably coupled tothe second proximal end about a second axis, the second distal endpivotably coupled to the adapter bracket about a third axis, and thefirst, second, and the third axes substantially parallel with respect toeach other; (5) a first motor adapted to pivot the first arm about thefirst axis, (6) a second motor adapted to pivot the second arm about thesecond axis, and (7) a third motor adapted to pivot the adaptor bracketabout the third axis; and (B) a processor adapted to receive a controlsignal to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor, and the processoradapted to activate at least one of the first, second, and third motorsbased on the control signal to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor.21. The system according to claim 20, where the adaptor bracket includesa first portion pivotably coupled to a second portion about a fourthaxis, the fourth axis substantially perpendicular to the third axis, andthe adaptor bracket having a fourth motor to pivot the first portion ofthe adaptor bracket about the fourth axis.
 22. The system according toclaim 20, where the processor controls the first, second, and thirdmotors to extend the adaptor bracket relative to the wall bracket in asubstantially perpendicular manner.
 23. The system according to claim20, where the processor controls the first, second, and third motors tomove the adaptor bracket laterally relative to the wall bracket.
 24. Asystem adapted to adjust a viewing angle of a monitor having a backside, the system comprising: (A) a remote control adapted to transmit acontrol signal to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor; (B) a supportarm having: (1) an adaptor bracket adapted to couple to the back side ofthe monitor, (2) a wall bracket adapted to couple to a wall, (3) an armhaving a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end pivotablycoupled to the wall bracket about a first axis, the first axis being avertical axis when the system is in use, and the adaptor bracket isadapted to couple to the arm, and (4) a first motor adapted to pivot thearm about the first axis such that the distal end pivots about the firstaxis in an arcing manner along a horizontal plane when the system is inuse to extend or retract the adaptor bracket relative to the wallbracket; and (C) a processor adapted to receive the control signal fromthe remote control and activate the first motor to extend or retract theadaptor bracket relative to the wall bracket, and the processor adaptedto retract the adaptor bracket relative to the wall bracket when themonitor is turned off.
 25. The system according to claim 24, the supportarm including a receptor adapted to receive the control signal from theremote control.
 26. The system according to claim 24, where the distalend of the arm is pivotably coupled to the adaptor bracket about asecond axis, and the first axis is substantially parallel with thesecond axis, and further including a second motor adapted to pivot theadaptor bracket about the second axis.
 27. The system according to claim24, where the processor is adapted to activate the first motor to extendthe adapter bracket relative to the wall bracket when the monitor isturned on.
 28. A system adapted to adjust a viewing angle of a monitorhaving a back side, the system comprising: (A) a remote control havingat least one control button, where activation of the at least onecontrol button causes the remote control to transmit a viewing controlsignal; (B) a receptor adapted to receive the viewing control signal;(C) a support arm having: (1) an adaptor bracket having a first portionand a second portion, the first portion adapted to couple to the backside of the monitor, (2) a wall bracket adapted to couple to a wall, (3)an arm having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal endpivotably coupled to the wall bracket about a first axis, and the distalend pivotably coupled to the second portion of the adapter bracket abouta second axis, and the first axis substantially parallel to the secondaxis, and (4) a first motor adapted to pivot the arm about the firstaxis, and (5) a second motor adapted to pivot the second portion of theadapter bracket about the second axis; and (D) a processor adapted tocommunicably couple to the receptor, and the processor adapted toactivate at least one of the first and second motors based on theviewing control signal from the remote control to move the adaptorbracket relative to the wall bracket.
 29. The system according to claim28, where the first portion of the adapter bracket is adapted to pivotrelative to the second portion of the adapter bracket about a thirdaxis, the third axis substantially perpendicular to the second axis, andfurther including a third motor adapted to pivot the first portion ofthe adapter bracket about the third axis, and the processor adapted toactivate the third motor to pivot the first portion of the adaptorbracket about the third axis.
 30. The system according to claim 28,where the processor is adapted to activate at least one of the first andsecond motors to retract the adapter bracket relative to the wallbracket from an extended position to a retracted position when themonitor is turned off.
 31. The system according to claim 30, where theprocessor is adapted to activate at least one of the first and secondmotors to extend the adapter bracket to the extended position when themonitor is turned on again.
 32. The system according to claim 28,including a memory, and the remote control includes a teach button,where activation of the teach button causes the remote control totransmit a teach control signal, and based on the teach control signalthe processor stores a desired position of the monitor into the memory,and the processor adapted to retrieve the desired position from thememory to reposition the monitor to the desired position at a latertime.
 33. A system adapted to adjust a viewing angle of a monitor havinga back side, the system comprising: (A) a remote control adapted totransmit a control signal to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor;(B) a support arm having: (1) an adaptor bracket adapted to couple tothe back side of the monitor, (2) a wall bracket adapted to couple to awall, (3) an arm having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximalend pivotably coupled to the wall bracket about a first axis, the firstaxis being a vertical axis when the system is in use, and the adaptorbracket is adapted to couple to the arm, and (4) a first motor adaptedto pivot the arm about the first axis such that the distal end pivotsabout the first axis in an arcing manner to extend or retract theadaptor bracket relative to the wall bracket; and (C) a processoradapted to receive the control signal from the remote control andactivate the first motor to move the adaptor bracket relative to thewall bracket.